It is just over a month to the start of the 2018 Ryder Cup and it’s little wonder Jim Furyk can think of nothing else.
The USA Captain has managed to temporarily put that aside in posting rounds of 65 and 68 at this week’s Wyndham Championship and the final event of the regular PGA Tour year ahead of the start next week of the four Play-Off Series events.
Furyk’s efforts of a seven-under par tally is his best opening 36-holes in just the 15 events the 48-year has contested this year.
It is no surprise also his European Team rival, Thomas Bjorn has played in only 13 tournaments while the Dane travelled all the way to St. Louis last week only to be forced out before tee-up with a continuing back injury.
Jim Furyk goes to sleep and wakes-up thinking of the Ryder Cup.
No injury concerns for Furyk as evident in ‘Mr. 58’s’ score of 65 on Thursday and now a two-under tally on day two of the $US 6m event being played in heatwave conditions on the Sedgefield course in Greensboro, North Carolina.
But with the Ryder Cup now just five weeks away there’s no prize for guessing what does command Furyk’s attention.
“I want to play well this week, but I’ll be dead honest with you, first and foremost on my mind is I’m thinking Ryder Cup,” he said post his opening round.
“I go to sleep thinking about it, I wake up thinking about it.
“I’m able to kind of put it out of my mind most of the time out there on the golf course, but enjoying the process and I’m enjoying playing actually. Even though I’m not playing well, I’m still enjoying it.
“In my mind, I’m thinking about what I want to work on this off-season getting ready for ’19. I really still feel like I have some good golf in me”.
The 2003 U.S. Open winner has had 26 wins in his pro career and with 17 of those on the PGA while he will be forever remember in golf the world over in shooting a 58 on the final day of the 2016 Travelers Championship, and this after recording a 59 in September 2016.
Furyk’s best Tour finish this year has been seventh behind Paul Casey at the Valspar Championship in Florida.
“It hasn’t been a solid year and iInstead of focusing on where I have to finish and what I have to do, I mean, really I’m just trying to string a bunch of rounds together,” he said.
“One thing I really haven’t done this year, I haven’t played a lot of events where I’ve strung four rounds together. I’ve had two, I’ve had three.
“The U.S. Open would be real indicative of that, played the first three rounds very well and then played poorly on Sunday. So, it would be nice to — at this point I’m in the last — 48 years old, I’m in the last event of the year, I’m not putting a ton of pressure on myself to compete.
“I’m not just starting out my career at 25 or 26 with a family and feeling like, oh, my God, what’s going to happen to my job.
“So, I’m trying not to put a lot of pressure on myself.”
